The defection of Robert Jenrick to Reform UK has sent shockwaves through Westminster, marking the highest-profile Tory to join Nigel Farage's party. Jenrick, a former Conservative leadership candidate and shadow justice secretary, was sacked from the shadow cabinet and suspended by party leader Kemi Badenoch, who accused him of plotting to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible.
Jenrick, who has been MP for Newark since 2014, described the Conservatives as “rotten” and “failed” as he took the stage alongside Farage. The move blindsided political journalists, with the Guardian's policy editor Kiran Stacey noting that such a sudden bombshell has been rare since Keir Starmer promised to bring back politics as normal.
According to party sources, Badenoch's team obtained what they believed was Jenrick's draft resignation speech, which urged other Conservatives to defect and criticised senior shadow cabinet colleagues including Priti Patel and Mel Stride. This prompted Badenoch to act swiftly, stripping him of the whip and announcing his dismissal via a social media video.
The defection comes amid a steady stream of Tory defections to Reform, including former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi earlier this week. It highlights Farage's strategy to transform Reform from a protest movement into a credible election-winning machine, while Badenoch struggles to hold the Conservative party together.
